


Change of plans

by LittleRedbirdMcCall



Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Cuddling & Snuggling, Dorks in Love, Love Confessions, M/M, Morning Cuddles, Morning Kisses, Scott McCall Loves Stiles Stilinski, Secret Relationship, Sharing a Bed, Stiles Stilinski Loves Scott McCall, The Pack Doesn't Know, Valentine's Day, Valentine's Day Fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-14
Updated: 2019-02-14
Packaged: 2019-10-28 06:22:24
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 13,644
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17782232
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LittleRedbirdMcCall/pseuds/LittleRedbirdMcCall
Summary: Going to a drive-in with his friends does sound like a better way to spend Valentine's day than sitting alone at home watching movies, and really, there's no reason for him to say no. It would be alright if that was what Scott's plans really were.





	Change of plans

It's safe to say that in a small town like Beacon Hills, Valentine's day is sort of a big deal. At least, everyone around Scott has always made it into one. When he was young, and they got the chance to make those cards for their "Valentine" in class, he and Stiles would always have a competition with each other to see who could make the best one. 

There was never really a winner declared at the end of the day seeing as how they ended up giving the cards to each other. They were always a mess, covered in glitter and funny little inside jokes between them, and Scott loved the holiday simply because of them. 

It's different now, of course. At least in certain aspects. They definitely don't make cards in Senior year, but the high school still somehow manages to go all out for the occasion.

Scott can only raise his eyebrows when he walks into the cafeteria. There's not one surface that isn't covered in something red or pink, and that includes every table, the floor, and the ceiling. It only seems to be getting worse as the years go on.

He smiles a little at the hearts hanging from strings above him as he makes his way over to one of the tables. He'll admit that it definitely seems to have somehow lifted the atmosphere completely, despite the tension from the stress of exams that had been following them all around just a week ago.

Almost everyone seems to be taking a break, enjoying the buzz of excitement. Those who actually have a reason to celebrate the holiday, anyway. Everyone else just seems to be taking joy in the heart-shaped cookies on their trays and watching their friends turn a shade of bright red when their partner does something incredibly cheesy in the least discreet way possible.

Scott still catches the odd person complaining about the whole thing as he approaches his friends, saying it's stupid. Some of their chemo-signals say they think otherwise, maybe a little annoyed because their friends are practically all over each other all the time, especially now. He reaches the table as the thought that some things have definitely changed this year crosses his mind. 

The second he slips into the empty space next to Stiles, he gets bombarded with their current conversation. One that's topic doesn't surprise him in the slightest.

Stiles is the first to notice him and nudges his arm. He nods his head at their friends and raises his eyebrows in a way that very clearly says _they're insane._

Scott grins, silently agreeing with a roll of his head, and Stiles' mouth curves up at the corners. There's a slight pause, a moment where Scott has to remind himself that he's at school, that he can't let his mind get stuck on Stiles' smile, or the way his features relax and he looks so carefree. 

No matter how many images push to the front of his mind of leaning in to close that tiny gap, already pressed close enough to him that their thighs are touching. His thumb trailing along Stiles' bottom lip before slipping his hand to the back of his neck to pull him closer, have Stiles' lips on his and—

He cuts his own mini-daydream short. Partially because Stiles is still looking at him and he knows for a fact that he's been staring for a good few seconds now just based on the way Stiles' eyebrows go up ever so slightly and his smile seems a little too smug.

Then his features are softening as he bumps his shoulder with his own. Scott watches his hand slip under the table. He just barely feels it brush against his own when he catches his name being said by one of their friends and he looks up, eyes widening. 

"Okay, no, that doesn't count," Lydia says, pointing a finger across the table at Allison. "I said to name one Valentine's day where your plans haven't been interrupted by something supernatural. That one definitely was, I remember calling you!"

"No way. Scott," Allison turns in her seat so quickly to look across at him that he feels Stiles' hand jump away from his completely, "back me up here. We had a Valentine's day together that didn't get interrupted, right? That one with the dinner at my house?" 

Scott pauses, his mind drawing a momentary blank. Mainly because this isn't a situation he wanted to be put in. 

"Uh, no," he answers, that particular night quickly coming back to him. He glances at Stiles, then looks back at Allison as he composes himself a little more and shakes his head, his eyebrows drawing together. "No, we had to stop halfway through the movie we put on, remember? Because of all the calls to the Sheriff's station about dog-like creatures and the body that Lydia found that turned out to not be dead?"

Allison opens her mouth like she's going to argue, but then she stops. Her eyebrows furrow and her shoulders slump.

"Oh, I thought that was a different night," she says. "I was sure we had at least one good Valentine's day..."

"We live in Beacon Hills," Aiden jumps in, "it's impossible to have any good sort of holiday here. Even the romantic kind. Actually, especially those ones."

"I wouldn't say impossible," Stiles says at the exact moment everyone agrees with Aiden, rolling his eyes. 

He freezes as everyone, including Scott, turns their eyes on him. Most are obviously surprised; Stiles has made it known for many years that he dislikes Valentine's day to a very high degree, usually because he never has anyone to spend the day with, leaving him on his own while everyone else is off doing whatever.

Scott tilts his head, raising his eyebrows at him in a way that he hopes conveys what he's trying to say. Stiles glances at him for barely a second, then quickly slips back into his casual self, scoffing. 

"What? There has been at least one day every week where we haven't had to deal with something supernatural," he points out, glancing around the table as he shrugs. "So, it's not impossible to have a nice night without any interruptions. That's if you actually enjoy this time of year, of course, which I obviously do not."

Scott rolls his eyes, making a reminder in his head for later as he just smiles, mainly out of amusement. The rest of their friends seem to buy it, all except for a few people, including Lydia. She arches an eyebrow at him but otherwise stays silent. He's not sure but Scott gets the feeling that's somehow worse than her outright interrogating Stiles on his sudden change of heart about Valentine's day. 

"Okay, well, whether that's true or not," Lydia says, shifting her eyes away from Stiles to look at Aiden in the seat next to her, a half-smile, half-smirk spreading across the both their faces, "I plan on having a good night on Valentine's day. So," she then turns back to the rest of the table, narrowing her eyes, "I don't want to have one phone call telling me someone's been murdered, or gone missing, or anything else that involves me having to be a Banshee on my night off, got it?" 

Everyone seems to be in agreement with her and she relaxes, back to a satisfied smile as she takes a drink from her glass of water. The conversation quickly gets shifted again, somehow managing to stay on the topic of Valentine's day as the rest of them discuss their plans for tomorrow.

Scott's mind wanders to his own. He's had everything sorted for a while now, having started planning a good few weeks in advance. Really it's been a few years if he's honest. This will just be the first time that he actually gets to act on them. As well as the first year that he's going to properly be spending it with—

"What about you guys?" Isaac asks, catching Scott's attention and cutting him from his thoughts. He glances from him to Stiles, to Kira, Jackson, and Malia. "Seeing as how you're all completely single this year." He almost has a smug lilt to his voice as he raises his eyebrows in curiosity.

Scott's more focused on how to answer that. He chances a glance at Stiles, watching him fumble for something that sounds plausible, his mouth opening and closing. 

"Uh, me?" Stiles' tongue darts out across his lower lip and he gives a short laugh. "Well, uh... I'm going to be studying. You know, what with exams and all," he adds when he receives more than one look of disbelief. "I might watch Star Wars though. Because what better way to spend the day of romance than with Darth Vader and Princess Leia, am I right?"

Scott has to silently applaud Stiles on using Star Wars as a way to get everyone's interest off of him. It seems he's learned by now that it's almost always a sure-fire way of getting their friends' attention away from him, seeing as how they all try to change the subject as quickly as possible or simply tune out, having heard everything about every single movie from him at least five times already. 

"So," Aiden raises an almost mocking eyebrow, "you're going to spend Valentine's day alone?" 

Stiles scoffs again, not even missing a beat. "No, I'm spending it with Star Wars and my dad's secret chocolate stash. I'd hardly class that as alone, and even if I did, I'm obviously not the only one here who won't have the company of another human. Or werewolf, for that matter. Or just the supernatural in general, really, I mean—"

"Kira, what about you?" Allison cuts in, raising her eyebrows pointedly at her, her mouth curved up in a smile.

Scott bites back a grin at the indignant look Stiles has as he stares at her with narrowed eyes. It barely lasts for a second or three before he's rolling his eyes and huffing quietly. He glances at Scott just long enough for his lips to twitch up at the corners, and winks, his plan obviously having worked. 

Scott can only shake his head slightly but smile back as everyone's attention shifts to Kira instead as her eyes widen. 

"Oh, well, I don't really have plans," she says, "I was just gonna hang out with Jackson. There's this drive-in thing going on and one of the movies they're showing is my favourite, and—" she turns her head to her left, looks at Jackson with a bright smile, and shrugs before turning back to the rest of them, "—he agreed to go with me since he has no other plans either." 

"Okay, we'll come back to the part about you two spending Valentine's day together," Lydia says, her eyebrows furrowing as she says it and waves a hand vaguely at them. "Did you say a drive-in?"

"Yeah, I heard about that," Scott says, pausing in the middle of going to take a drink. "They're showing a few movies, aren't they? One of them's a Marvel one, and, uh..." he pauses, trying to recall the name, "one of the other's is a romance one. About a notebook or something. It's supposed to be sad?"

There's a groan from Jackson as soon as he says it. Scott raises his eyebrows, but he quickly clicks on to why when he glances at Lydia. Her face is lit up, a smirk settling on her lips as she looks up at Aiden in a way that has him groaning as well within two seconds. 

"Change of plans," Lydia decides. "We're going to the drive-in as well. If they're showing _The Notebook_ then there's no way I'm missing it."

"You've watched it like a million times," Aiden says, obviously trying to persuade her back around.

Lydia simply looks at him, raising her eyebrows. He caves without much prompting, Scott notices, and the small smile he has when Lydia looks away tells him he's not as bothered about watching the movie if Lydia wants to as he's pretending to be.

He's barely taken a drink from his bottle of water, his mind about to wander back to his own plans for Valentine's day when Lydia speaks again. 

"You guys should come as well," she says, her eyes moving from Scott to Stiles, to Malia. "It'll be fun." 

Scott slowly lowers the bottle back down, his eyes widening a little as he quickly tries to think up an excuse. 

"Well, I would," he starts, "but I—"

"I mean, it's not like you've got other plans?" Lydia cuts him off, her words coming out as more of a question. She looks directly at Scott as she raises an eyebrow, her expression innocent but her eyes saying otherwise. Then she looks away, and adds, "the three of you have nothing else to do anyway, you might as well."

Scott falters. Part of him is urging him to push it and say he can't, that he actually does have other plans. The only problem with that is Lydia will ask for details, as will the rest of them, and it's not that he's a bad liar but... he's pretty bad at it, especially when a good majority of his friends can hear the lie through his heartbeat.

Risking it, he glances at Stiles, checking for his reaction. He looks just as stumped as Scott feels, clearly reaching for yet another excuse, something she'll believe. Except when Lydia wants something, she tends to get her way. 

Going to a drive-in with his friends does sound like a better way to spend Valentine's day than sitting alone at home watching movies, and really, there's no reason for him to say no. It would be alright if that was what Scott's plans really were. 

The realization that there's no getting out of it, not really, hits Scott. Not without having to tell them the truth. 

"Yeah, okay," he says. "The drive-in it is, I guess." 

Stiles stares at him with wide eyes, his mouth falling open, silently conveying his confusion to Scott. All he can do is give a subtle, helpless shrug in response. Stiles seems to understand, but his shoulders slump and the flicker of disappointment in his eyes before he turns away from him makes Scott's stomach twist with the same feeling. 

"Why not?" Stiles says, forcing a grin. "I'm sure Star Wars can wait for me."

His eyes dart to Scott for just a second, and Scott understands as well. He sends him a small smile, barely a twitch of his lips, and silently makes a promise. He can guarantee Stiles that Star Wars will definitely wait for him.

Malia agrees after a few seconds of asking what the hell a drive-in even is and deciding that she might as well. After that, Allison and Isaac easily agree to change their plans in favour of it as well, and then the subject finally shifts away from Valentine's day completely. 

It's not so bad, Scott tells himself as he eats the heart-shaped cookie on his tray. A few changes and delays in his original plans, but he can make it work. He hopes he can, anyway.

* * *

 

They don't get a chance to talk about it without the risk of someone overhearing them for the rest of the school day. No matter what class they're in, there's at least one of their friends right there, usually one with supernatural hearing as well. When Stiles leans across the space between their two desks, obviously about to try and bring it up, Isaac walks in. Stiles slumps back in his seat, and Scott resigns himself to the fact that they'll have to wait until after. 

He's barely in his room two minutes when there's the tell-tale sound of a door closing from outside, letting him know that Stiles didn't even bother to go home first. He lays his jacket over the back of his chair, having tossed his bag onto it as soon as he got in. Then he moves over to his door, pulling it open to go back downstairs and meet Stiles. 

He barely gets two steps out of his room before Stiles turns the corner, pausing when he sees him. For a split second, Scott's hit with the scent that's been building since lunch, the irritation at not being able to get even a second to talk properly. Then his shoulders are relaxing and his features soften as a grin tugs at his lips.

"Okay, I officially hate having to wait six hours before I can talk to you as my boyfriend instead of just my best friend," he says, continuing down the hall until he's in front of Scott. His hands reach out, moving to rest on Scott's waist, and Scott smiles, the relief washing over him as well. "It's seriously like the worst form of torture at this point."

"You said that about the thirteen years you spent having feelings for me but never saying anything," Scott points out, tilting his head, but his smile widens as he brings his own hands up to rest on Stiles' shoulders. 

Stiles rolls his eyes. "So this is like second to that, but still. Torture." 

Scott just raises his eyebrows, giving a hum of amusement, and Stiles smiles right back at him. The little tilt of his head is enough indication for Scott. He leans in, his lips on Stiles' within a second and with a spark of joy swooping through his stomach. They haven't quite been doing this long enough for his heart not to skip a beat when they kiss, but he's not complaining.

He will admit, waiting six hours just to be able to do anything like this isn't exactly ideal. Right now though, it's not so bad. Stiles gives a happy little hum, his mouth curving up as Scott slides his hands up to either side of his neck and pulls him closer. It's pretty clear that he isn't as bothered by the waiting right now either. 

They take a few steps back until they're in Scott's room, nearly stumbling, and the kiss is broken by their laughing. As he said, they haven't been doing this for too long, so they're still figuring some things out. He's loving every second of it. 

"Okay, wait," Stiles pulls back but barely by much, his hands staying in place on Scott's waist and a faint hint of a smile lingering on his lips. "We need to talk about this sudden change in plans for Valentine's day. Because — correct me if I'm wrong, but I don't remember those plans involving a drive-in or us not being able to properly spend the day together because we're surrounded by our friends, who, may I remind you, have no idea that we're dating."

Scott sighs and nods, his own smile slipping at the reminder. "I know, I'm sorry. Lydia put me on the spot and I didn't know how to get out of it. If we had both said we couldn't go, everyone would have gotten suspicious, and I'm pretty sure that's exactly what we're trying to avoid."

Stiles' shoulders drop a little and Scott can sense a hint of the same disappointment from earlier settling back in.

"Yeah, I know," he says. "I just..."

He shakes his head, pausing as he considers his choice of words. When he looks back at Scott, his eyes seem to soften and whatever it was he was going to say doesn't make it past his lips. It doesn't need to though; Scott can already tell what he's thinking, seeing as how it's all he's been thinking himself since lunch. 

"I don't like it either," he says, watching Stiles look down. The slight movement an inch to the left of his mouth tells Scott he's biting the inside of his cheek. He starts tracing a little circle into his jaw with his thumb without really noticing he's doing it. "I wanted tomorrow to be special. What with it being the first Valentine's day we'll be spending as an actual couple." 

"Do you think we could cancel?" Stiles asks, his voice hopeful but his face betraying that he already has a good idea as to what the answer's going to be.

Scott at least considers it, despite knowing what he's going to have to say. He _wants_ to say yes. He wants to just go back on it, spend the entirety of tomorrow with Stiles, just the two of them. Their original plans weren't exactly anything big, but they were both happy with them, and Scott really can't think of any better way to spend Valentine's day than cuddled up with Stiles watching a bunch of their favourite movies and eating takeout. 

He offers Stiles a small smile but shakes his head. "We can't. Trust me, I would love to. But if we both cancel now, Lydia won't let it go. She'll figure it out, you know she will." 

Stiles groans, leaning his head back. "Just for once I would like for her not to be the most observant and determined person around us. It seriously makes this whole secret relationship a lot harder than I was expecting it to be." 

Scott's stomach gives a slight twist and he bites his lip, taking in his words. "Are you regretting it?" he asks, unable to help himself. 

"Oh, definitely not," Stiles answers without missing a beat.

His eyes shifts back to Scott, a flicker of confusion in them. He seems to pick up on something and slowly shakes his head, holding Scott's gaze.

"I could never regret anything about being with you," he emphasizes, his voice taking a softer tone. "Trust me on that, okay? I've been waiting thirteen years for this, so even if we're the only ones who know that it's finally happening, I'm perfectly fine with that." A soft smile spreads across his face as he adds, "I'm happy."

That admittedly brings a smile to Scott's face as well. It has been hard to keep it a secret but they both agreed it's what they want for now. Just until they're sure of things. Although, Scott doesn't think he's ever been surer of anything in his life than he is about how feels about Stiles. 

"I'm happy, too," he says, nodding, and means it.

Stiles' mouth curves up at the corners, the look on his face one of complete and utter fondness and adoration. He leans back in, his lips finding Scott's again. He can't help but smile into the kiss, and his worry slips away as Stiles presses forward a little more. His hands shift from Scott's waist to his back, wrapping his arms around him.

"Not as happy about not being able to call you my boyfriend on Valentine's day," Stiles mutters, still not bothering to properly pull away, his lips still on Scott's. "But I guess we can make it work. We've been managing alright so far, right?" 

Scott hums in agreement. "Yeah, we have." Something crosses his mind from lunch and he quickly adds, "we just need to be more careful."

Stiles pauses, now pulling back enough to look at him.

"I think everyone's noticing that you aren't as against Valentine's day as you usually are," Scott explains. "It's making them suspicious. Especially since you aren't commenting on how _sickeningly cute_ they are when they talk about their plans." 

"Well, that's because I've been a little too distracted to notice," he says. "I'll keep that in mind though. Wouldn't want our friends thinking I actually like this holiday for once," he jokes, grinning at Scott. "All down to you, of course." 

Scott rolls his eyes. "Just try and act like you usually would."

"Yeah, yeah, I'll be all bitter and tell them to get a room," he says. "Now, can we use the one that we're in to play that new game you got or am I going to have to persuade you with kisses? Because — trust me, I will. I am in no way opposed to using my rights as your boyfriend to get you to play video games with me instead of studying, especially since we won't have much of a chance tomorrow."

"Yeah, okay. But we're not giving up on our original plans for tomorrow, okay? As you said, we can work something out." 

Stiles nods in agreement, giving a quick, "okay," then presses a kiss to the corner of Scott's mouth as he smiles. He's then letting go of his waist in favour of slipping his hands underneath Scott's and taking them to start pulling him toward the bed instead. 

They end up spending a good majority of the night playing the video game, followed by watching a movie Scott had been wanting to suggest for tomorrow night. As he expected, Stiles loves it. 

One turns into pretty much half of the list they already had. 

Maybe this is better, Scott thinks, as Stiles offers the bag of Doritos they grabbed from downstairs to him without even looking, his eyes fixed intently on the screen. It doesn't have to be Valentine's day for them to enjoy spending a day together or for it to feel special, that's for sure. This way, it sort of feels like they're getting two Valentine's day. 

Scott smiles, presses a kiss to Stiles' shoulder before accepting the bag and turning back to the movie of Stiles' choice. He definitely likes that idea. 

* * *

 

When Scott wakes up the next day, the TV's still playing away, stuck on the main screen of the movie they fell asleep watching. He's more focused on the fingers trailing over his arm, drawing light patterns into his skin. It brings a smile to his face before he can even keep his eyes open. 

Stiles must notice that he's no longer asleep as he pauses for all of two seconds before continuing. Scott manages to blink away the blurriness and look at him. He's smiling back at him, his own features soft and sleepy. Scott's lost count of the many times he's woken up like this, even before they were together. 

"How long have you been up?" Scott asks, shifting a little more onto his left to fully face him. 

Stiles gives a halfhearted shrug, and Scott knows that it's probably longer than he's willing to admit. "Long enough to hear your phone go off like ten times," he answers, his eyebrows raising slightly. "And mine. I haven't checked but I think I won't be far off if I guess it's Lydia making sure we're not trying to back out of this whole drive-in thing later."

Scott laughs lightly and agrees. Going against her own rule of no phone calls or texts on Valentine's day does sound like something Lydia would do, especially since her plans changed.

The sun's still shining through the slats of his blinds, but he's willing to assume that it won't be long before they'll be meeting up with them all. They somehow lost track of time last night, so he really wouldn't be all that surprised if they've slept in. 

A comfortable quiet settles in the room, other than the faint noise from the TV, the same tune playing over and over again as neither of them makes a move to shut it off. Scott can feel Stiles' content just from where his fingers are on his skin, leaving behind a faint tingling as they move up his arm, to his shoulder. He lifts his gaze to meet Scott's and he smiles when he notices him just watching him.

"You know, I never actually thought I would wake up on Valentine's day with you beside me," Stiles says, and Scott's own smile widens as Stiles' face lights up. "Speaking of..." 

He leans forward, kissing Scott. It's slow, both of them still not fully awake yet. Everything about it feels so soft, unlike the rest of their lives with its jagged edges, and Scott can't think about anything else other than how he could get used to waking up like this every day. 

Stiles' fingers have gone back to moving over his skin, his touch light and barely there on his jaw. Scott makes a quiet noise and tries not to smile as Stiles presses forward a little more, deepening the kiss. He repositions the arm he had underneath Stiles to wrap around him as Stiles props himself up and rolls slightly so that he's hovering a few inches above him. 

Then he pulls back, his head tilting as he moves his lips to Scott's neck instead. He presses a kiss just beneath his jaw, and Scott can feel the curve of his mouth as he quietly says, "Happy Valentine's Day, Scotty."

"It definitely is now," Scott says, and Stiles laughs against his neck, burying his face into it. It only makes his smile grow as he slowly trails the tips of his fingers over Stiles' side, slipping beneath his t-shirt. He can't help but delight in the way he shifts closer to him like it tickles. "Happy Valen—" 

Before he can finish, his phone goes off. Stiles groans the second it does and Scott closes his eyes. Despite the part of him that's silently telling him to just ignore it, he stretches to his right and grabs it from where he left it on the table last night. Sure enough, Stiles' guess was right — Lydia's name's displayed on the screen, his phone still buzzing in his hand. 

He glances at Stiles as he lifts his head, and it's pretty obvious by the shake of his head that he's in favour of ignoring it for now as well. Scott just tilts his own in apology and drags his thumb along the screen to answer. 

He quickly holds the phone to his ear just as Lydia starts talking. 

"Oh good, you're awake," she says. "So, we've been discussing the plans for tonight, and we're going to meet up at the drive-in at seven since it starts at half past. You're still coming, right?"

"Yeah, of course," he answers, shooting another glance at Stiles, this time met with a roll of his eyes. 

"Okay, great," she says. "It doesn't end until around eleven, maybe midnight — oh, and tell Stiles that one of the other movies they're showing is that Marvel one he's been going on about for ages. Spider-man or Deadpool or something like that."

Stiles raises his eyebrows at the phone, flailing a hand at it. "Those are completely different things," he whispers, and Scott nudges him with a grin.

"Well, I don't know which it is, you're the one who's obsessed with them," she shoots back. 

They both freeze, their eyes widening. Scott's heart jumps a beat or two then rushes to catch back up; either that or it's trying to escape his chest completely as his stomach twists. He glances at Stiles at the same time as he looks from the phone to Scott, an urgent, almost panicked look on his face. 

His mouth opens and closes, then he's gesturing at the phone and mouthing, "what do we do?"

Scott shakes his head, trying to think. He bites his lip, wondering if maybe Lydia just thought that it was him who said it and has no idea that it was actually Stiles. Or she does know and they've possibly just blown everything, unless—

"Hello?" Lydia's voice comes through the phone, startling them both. "You two still there?" 

That answers that question then, Scott thinks, as his stomach gives another twist and he looks at Stiles. 

"Uh, yeah, we're here," he answers, and Stiles drops his head onto Scott's shoulder. 

"Okay, well, if you're interested, we're heading to Ruby's diner soon," she says, the sound of a leather jacket being slipped on in the background. "Allison convinced me that it'll be more fun. Although, she did say something about the ' _small-town experience_ ' so I think she may just be hoping that this is going to turn into an episode of Riverdale or something."

Scott laughs lightly and Stiles makes a muffled noise of amusement.

"In Beacon Hills, that's entirely possible."

"True," Lydia says. "Alright, well, _I_ am going to go and get Aiden. I think he's hiding in Derek's loft with Boyd. Like he's going to help him. Apparently, he's never had a real Valentine's day before and he doesn't like the sound of it. I'll see you two later."

"Or tomorrow, that works too," Stiles mutters. Scott rolls his eyes but is pretty sure Lydia didn't quite catch it this time.

"See you later," Scott says before she hangs up.

He tosses his phone somewhere near the bottom of the bed as Stiles relaxes, letting out a quiet sigh. Scott turns his head to look at him as Stiles lifts his own, propping his chin on Scott's chest. The look on his face is the same one from yesterday, except now more accepting and less disappointed, resigned to their plans for the rest of the day. 

"I guess we should probably get ready then," Stiles says, but makes no move to actually get up and do that.

Scott pauses, replaying what Lydia said. A grin curves his mouth and he gives a half-shrug as Stiles raises an eyebrow.

"Or..." 

He rolls them over, loving the noise of surprise Stiles makes. It's followed by a confused but obviously pleased grin from him before Scott leans down, wiping it away as he kisses back without missing a beat. Stiles' arms wrap around the back of his neck, pulling him down even more. 

He breaks the kiss just enough to be able to finish saying, "we could stay here for a few more minutes. It's gonna take Lydia at least twenty minutes to get to Derek's loft, then another ten to get to Ruby's." 

Stiles catches on, his eyes flickering with mischief as his grin returns. He feigns complete and utter innocence. "And it only takes us fifteen minutes to get there if we take my jeep. Which means..." 

"We have a few minutes to spare," Scott agrees, nodding. 

Stiles is pulling him back down as soon as the words are out of his mouth, his grin still partially there, even as Scott leans into the kiss. One of his hands find its way to Scott's hair, his fingers moving through it, and Scott wonders if they'll be able to get away with not having to change a thing at the drive-in. It's not like anyone will be focused on them anyway. He figures they should be okay.

* * *

 

They stick to their word, only lingering for a few minutes longer before dragging themselves out of bed to get ready to meet their friends. Stiles ends up borrowing one of Scott's hoodies, which he definitely isn't complaining about. They get everything ready in the jeep, deciding that if they forget anything, they can just come back before the drive-in. 

By the time they arrive and walk into the diner, Allison, Isaac, Kira, and Malia are already there. They're tucked away in one of the bigger booths near the back, obviously in the middle of a conversation as Allison and Kira laugh about something. 

Scott glances at Stiles as he does the same. He takes in a deep breath and gives a half shrug as if to brush it off. Scott knows it's not that easy to just pretend like they have no feelings for each other whatsoever. Still, they're not ready. They're just not quite there yet. 

He nudges Stiles' shoulder and sends him a small smile. Stiles seems to appreciate it, smiling back before he's gesturing his head toward the booth as if to say _let's do this._ Then they head over.

Allison's the first to notice them, her face lighting up as they approach. "Hey! We were just waiting for you." She moves over as Stiles slips in next to her and Scott takes a seat beside Isaac. "We've already ordered but do you want anything?" 

"Oh, I'm gonna go up and get a drink in a minute, just wanted to say hello first," Stiles says, flashing her a grin. "Can't miss out on the Valentine's day special milkshake, can I? Who doesn't love a normal strawberry milkshake with whipped cream but with heart-shaped things on top? It's a once in a lifetime deal, really." 

"I see you're back to your usual self," Isaac comments, rolling his eyes at Stiles' obvious sarcasm. 

"I was never anyone else." Stiles shrugs, folding his arms on the table. "Valentine's day is still pointless, romance is still sickeningly cute, and I would still rather be watching Star Wars and keeping my dad healthy by stealing his chocolate than actually celebrating this day, but hey. I'm here and not going to ruin this obviously special and meaningful day for any of you by complaining, so that is the last time, I swear."

Scott has to hide his smile behind his hand. He's not sure if Isaac or Malia were even bothering to listen to his heartbeat once the entire time he was talking, but if they had, they would probably have heard it jump more than once. It leaves a happy, sort of light feeling in him to know that Stiles really doesn't hate this time of year as much as he used to. 

Stiles' eyes dart to him, meeting his as Isaac doesn't respond, just gives another roll of his eyes. He directs a smile at him, accompanied by a wink as he bites his lip, obviously able to tell that Scott knows Stiles' words to pretty much all be a lie. Maybe he still thinks the holiday itself is pointless, but Scott's aware that he definitely doesn't mind "celebrating" it anymore.

"How considerate," Malia says, her own sarcasm slipping through, but the faint smile on her lips saying she's just playing.

Stiles just look at her and hums in agreement, his head tilting as he plays along. Then he taps the table with both hands and says, "right, well, I actually do want a drink, so—" 

He starts to get up out of the booth when the bell on the door goes and he pauses, his eyes widening. Scott doesn't need to look behind him to know that Lydia and Aiden just walked in, but he still glances over his shoulder all the same.

He understands Stiles' brief moment of panic; Lydia didn't even question Stiles being with him when she called him so he has absolutely no idea what she was thinking. It's possible it just seemed normal to her, but he's just hoping she hasn't figured them out already. 

"Not leaving already I hope?" Lydia says, eyeing Stiles halfway out of the booth.

Stiles stays frozen for a second, causing both Lydia and Scott to raise their eyebrows at him. He quickly snaps out of it and shakes his head, laughing as he moves fully out of the booth. 

Waving his hand at it as if to explain, he says, "no, no, I'm just getting a drink." 

Lydia smirks, her head tilting as she moves around the booth to take the seat beside Kira while Aiden sits beside Malia, much to her obvious and not even remotely concealed displeasure. Not that he seems all that happy about it either. 

"The Valentine's day special, I presume?" she asks, clearly joking as she unwraps her scarf.

"You know me too well," he says, already backing away and heading for the counter. 

Scott doesn't miss the slight hint of worry in his voice as he said that. Lydia does have a habit of being able to tell when something's off with one of them, mainly because she knows them all so well by now to be able to pinpoint it within seconds. That thought doesn't exactly reassure him. One slip up is all it would take. 

She sits down, setting her scarf in her lap and starts undoing her jacket as she glances around the table.

"So, what are we talking about?" she asks.

"Well," Allison glances at Kira with a smile, "Kira was suggesting that we take a break from Beacon Hills. Not right now, obviously, since we have exams and everything coming up, but... in a couple months. Maybe during summer?" 

Scott raises his eyebrows, his interest piqued. Obviously, Lydia's is as well.

"A break?" she asks, curiously, her eyes moving between them. "What kind of break? Like, weekend away at a hotel kind of break, or three-month road trip kind of break? There's a very important difference in those two things."

Allison laughs lightly, nodding in agreement. "More along the lines of a road trip, yeah. I mean," she turns to the rest of them, giving a half shrug, "once exams are over, it would be nice to just... relax." 

"And what better way to do that than with a road trip?" Kira jumps in, grinning brightly. 

"Well, I'm in, for sure," Malia says.

Isaac shrugs. "Why not? I'd be up for it. Not like I've got much to do around here anyway. I was thinking more of a trip to France, but a road trip works just as well, I'm sure." 

"If I'm invited, then I'm definitely in," Aiden says, raising his hand slightly.

Lydia rolls her eyes but it's obvious she's pleased about him agreeing without her even trying to convince him. It's been happening more and more often recently, almost like Aiden actually enjoys things. It's definitely making Lydia happy, that's for sure. 

Her gaze shifts to Scott, her eyebrows going up in question. "What about you? Are you up for some time away from this place? A road trip could be fun and exactly what we need." Scott opens his mouth to answer, something crossing his mind, but she beats him to it and adds, "and before you say it, Beacon Hills would be fully protected. It's got an Argent, at least three Hales, the best Sheriff this place could hope for, not to mention your mom and Deaton. I think it'll be fine without us."

There goes his only hesitation. Well, one of two. 

"Then I guess I'd have to say I'm in," he says with a grin. Then he pauses. "But..."

He glances over his shoulder for barely a second, toward the counter, but when he turns back, Lydia's got this look on her face. She doesn't mention it, just looks over at where his eyes went and nods. 

"You should ask Stiles first. If we're not all in, then we shouldn't do it," she says. "It wouldn't feel right to leave even one of us behind, even just for a few weeks."

Scott nods in agreement and quickly gestures his head in the same direction. "I'll go check with him."

Lydia just smiles as he stands, slipping out of the booth and moving away from it. His heart actually jumps a beat and he has to tell himself that it's fine. She obviously isn't saying anything if she's caught on. 

That thought helps to ease his mind at least a little as he makes his way over to Stiles, his back to Scott and his arms leaned on the counter as he talks away to Sarah, one of the girls they see the most. It's a pretty small town after all.

He comes up behind Stiles, instinctively moving his hand to his waist. The second he does though, he catches himself. His hand barely brushes his side before he drops it to his side. It's still enough to catch Stiles' attention as Scott moves to his left, leaning against the counter. 

The smile he flashes him is knowing, if not a little mischievous. As much as he likes to say how difficult maintaining a secret relationship is when all of their friends are likely to pick up on something, Scott knows that Stiles loves every second of it. More specifically, feeling like they're getting away with something with every little touch that goes unmentioned or unnoticed. Scott mostly knows that because he admittedly likes it as well. Especially when Stiles looks at him the way he is now, all secretive, and nudges him as if to say _just between us_.

"I was assuming you wanted something, so I ordered you the other Valentine's special," Stiles says, gesturing to the menu displayed above. "A surprisingly non-traditional Valentine's-y Reese's Peanut Butter flavoured milkshake." 

Scott raises an eyebrow. "You ordered that just so you could try it?" 

"Yeah, that's exactly what I did," Stiles admits. Scott grins, shaking his head. "But I have only just found out that the one I was originally going to order is red velvet, not strawberry, and I know you like red velvet so—" 

"We can switch," Scott says, rolling his eyes before Stiles can finish. 

"I love you so much," Stiles blurts out, obviously meaning it as a joke. 

Still, Scott's eyes widen a little and it feels like the words wrap around his lungs, the air getting stuck somewhere in his throat. Stiles has practically frozen to the spot, realizing what he said.

It's not that big of a deal, it's not like they haven't said it before. Just... not in a serious way, and not within the two months that they've been together. More of a playful _you're my best friend, I love you_ , instead of an _I've been in love with you since I was seven_. Just because it's what Scott meant every time he said it doesn't mean it's the same.

He swallows, but the sound of Stiles' completely steady heartbeat is still echoing in his ears. The smile that tugs at the corners of his mouth refuses to leave as he ducks his head, throwing a glance over his shoulder. The rest of their friends are still talking away, too distracted to have heard him. 

"It's good to know your love can be bought with a milkshake," he says, turning back to him. "I'll have to keep that in mind. Just in case."

Stiles visibly relaxes and a smile slides into place on his face. He pauses, obviously thinking the same as Scott as his eyes dart over to the booth, then looks back at him.

"You'll never need to," Stiles says, and when Scott raises his eyebrows, he shrugs. "You technically can't buy something you already have. Besides, unless you bought me a milkshake when we were four, I don't think it applies here."

Scott's heart jumps a beat or two and his mind makes a note of that to circle back to later. Judging by the look on Stiles' face, he knows that Scott can't press it much further right now. Not without possibly catching Malia, Isaac, or Aiden's attention. 

"Okay, fine," Scott says. "Then you're buying me a Reese's one next time. Since you're stealing mine, it's only fair. Even if that means we have to come back here after the drive-in, I wanna try it."

"Don't worry, I'll share," he says, and nudges his shoulder. "If you wanted to be super cliche and cheesy, I could even ask for two straws? True Riverdale style, am I right? Come on, it's a great idea!" 

Scott laughs lightly, shaking his head in disbelief mixed with a bit of amusement. Of course one minute they're worrying about someone figuring out that they're together and the next Stiles is openly suggesting they act like they're a couple.

"I would take him up on that if I were you," Sarah jokes as she walks back over, now holding two milkshakes. She sets them down in front of them before crossing her arms and raising an eyebrow as she glances between them. "Do you want that extra straw or...?" 

"No, we don't," Scott says, his voice still shaking with amusement before Stiles can answer. "We're good, thanks, Sarah."

She shrugs but smiles at the both of them before moving along to talk to the person sitting on one of the stools. Scott takes the pink and very obviously red velvet one as Stiles' face lights up at the Reese's one. He shakes his head again, out of fondness this time. 

"By the way," he starts when Stiles takes a drink, turning around to lean back against the counter, "how does a road trip in the summer sound?"

Stiles' eyebrows shoot up. He takes a second or two to swallow, then lowers the straw from his mouth as his eyes dart away again, obviously choosing his words carefully.

"Like... a pack thing? Or...?"

Scott smiles as Stiles pushes away from the counter and they start slowly making their way back over to their friends. The thought of just the two of them taking a trip away is definitely an appealing one. He keeps that in mind for any future plans they might make. 

"A pack thing," he says, and Stiles nods. "Kira suggested it. It could be fun." 

"Yeah, I'd be up for that," Stiles says just before they reach the booth. Taking one last risk, he leans in a little closer and adds, "but if we haven't told them by then, we're the only ones in my jeep, alright? I think I'd go crazy pretending not to be totally into you for however many weeks without some sort of time alone, even when we're on the road."

Then he joins their friends, bringing their attention to them as he slides back into his seat beside Allison. Scott bites his lip, trying not to let his smile show too much. He moves over to them and sits back down beside Isaac, being greeted with the plans they've come up with already for this road trip, and the many other ones they're already discussing for next Valentine's day. Apparently, a romantic road trip is something that interests them all. 

Scott catches Stiles' eye and the slight tilt of his head and half-shrug tells him they're definitely going on a road trip for Valentine's day next year. Maybe their plans will actually go right if they're not in Beacon Hills, Scott thinks, but he can't help but feel a sort of joy about how this one's going. The secrecy isn't the best, but in a way, it just makes the moments they _are_ getting together that much better. 

* * *

 

By the time they arrive at the drive-in, the sky's dark. Scott can't help but stare up at the big screen at the very back of the field as he closes the passenger door to Stiles' jeep. It looks incredibly out of place, but maybe that's just because he's never been to an actual drive-in before. Beacon Hills isn't exactly known for this sort of thing, that's for sure. 

One sweep of the field with his eyes has Scott wondering if the town's really as small as he thought it was. The many cars, jeeps, trucks, and pretty much every vehicle you can get on a field say otherwise. 

He moves around to the back of the jeep, keeping one hand inside of his jacket, having managed to take what he needed out of his bag without Stiles noticing. Stiles is already there, the back of the jeep open and propped up, letting him fiddle around with the buttons on the back seats. Something clicks but when he pulls at it, nothing happens except for him cursing it under his breath. 

Scott can't help but smile as he stops next to him, staying quiet and just watching for a second or three. Stiles must notice out of the corner of his eye though and turns his head to look at him over his shoulder. He nods at the seats and rolls his eyes. 

"Uncooperative as usual," he says, waving a hand at it. "We've been able to pull the seats down any other time, but today's just its off day, yeah? It couldn't have picked any other day? It's been fine for months now but it chooses now?"

Scott shrugs with one shoulder and leans against the jeep, peering in. Stiles shifts a little to the side, his attention moving to the other button as he tries to slide it out of place. 

"Maybe it dislikes Valentine's day as much as you do," Scott says, and flashes a grin at Stiles when he pauses to raise an eyebrow at him over his shoulder. 

He rolls his eyes again. "You mean used to," he says as he presses on the top of the seats while pushing the button one way then the other. "In case you've forgotten, I happen to be all for the day of romance now. Mostly." 

Scott hums, nodding even though Stiles isn't looking. He glances down at the hand he still has hidden inside his jacket. 

"So," he pulls it out, twisting the rose between his fingers, "does that mean I can give you this without you calling me cheesy or saying that I'm wasting money for some pointless holiday?" 

Stiles' eyebrows furrow and he turns his head again to see what he's talking about. He opens his mouth like he's about to speak but then his eyes land on the rose in Scott's hands and it quickly forms an "oh" instead, his confusion shifting to surprise. 

"I saw people selling them, and I thought, seeing as how we're together now, I could finally give you one in person," Scott says, stepping closer as he glances down at the rose as well. He knows their friends are too occupied with getting their own cars set up for the drive in to pay any attention to them. "Putting it in your locker seemed kind of pointless now."

Stiles' eyes widen and snap back up to Scott. "Hold on, you were the one leaving those roses in my locker every year? You swore you had no idea who was doing it!" 

Scott shrugs, smiling. "I couldn't exactly just tell you that it was me. It would sort of have ruined the point of me keeping it anonymous so that you wouldn't know I had feelings for you." 

Stiles gapes at him, but his shock doesn't last for long. He shakes his head slowly, a smile settling on his face, and Scott's stomach swoops at the scent of pure happiness that comes off of him. 

His eyes dart away, his head turning, checking around them. Then he turns back to Scott, and he's still smiling as he quickly leans in. Scott happily kisses back, enjoying the little thrum of excitement at knowing they really shouldn't, not here, not right now. By the feel of it, Stiles is having the same thought and is loving it just as much as he is as he presses forward just a little to deepen it for a few more seconds, making it last as long as they can afford. 

When he pulls back, he's grinning; it's mischievous and a little smug, but mostly happy. Scott looks down when he feels Stiles' hand on his. The tips of his fingers brush over the back of his hand, moving up to the stem of the rose.

"Thanks, Scotty," he says, drawing Scott's eyes back up to meet his. The softness of his eyes, the flicker of something that's obvious only to him making him suck in a breath, a weird sort of fluttery feeling in his chest. 

Scott smiles as Stiles takes the rose, glancing down at it as he gives it a slight twirl between his own fingers, careful to avoid the thorns. It almost seems like he wants to say something else but isn't sure, is hesitating.

He wonders if it's the same thing that he's had on the tip of his tongue all day. It doesn't feel like it should be such a big deal, not when they've said it to each other a million times before, and yet for some reason, he can't help but be nervous about it. This is still new in a way, even if not much has really changed, it's still... breakable.

The second that Stiles' lips part as if to speak, Scott's eyes dart away, catching movement approaching them. A part of him sinks with disappointment, knowing there's no chance of Stiles voicing whatever it is he has on his mind now, at least not within the next few minutes.

The other part of him has him smiling at Lydia and Kira, just happy that they're getting this night at all to be with each other and not have to worry about getting called away. Even if anything happens, their parents have promised they can handle it. So, he's not too bothered by the interruption. This is just one night, after all. 

"I swear, it's freezing out here," Lydia says as soon as they reach them, her hands tucked beneath her arms, huddled in on herself. It's almost like she's trying to disappear beneath her scarf.

Stiles realizes what Scott was looking at, quickly turning to face the two of them as well now. The hand holding the rose goes behind his back, keeping it out of view. He flashes them both a casual smile, but glances at Scott, the worry that he's hurt him by hiding the rose evident on his face. 

"It's not that bad," Kira tries to reason with her, but even she's rubbing her gloved hands together.

Scott quickly gives a tiny shake of his head to Stiles, smiling in a way that he knows he'll understand and says that he gets it. He would have done the exact same thing since they're both still a little on edge from not knowing if Lydia knows more than she's letting on. 

Stiles visibly relaxes, the relief passing over his face fast enough for it to go unnoticed as he turns back to Lydia and Kira. 

"Drive-ins should not be held in the middle of February, Valentine's day or not," Lydia insists. "Sitting for three hours in the cold can't be good for anyone, even werewolves."

"It's more like five hours when you think about it," Stiles says, leaning back against the edge of the jeep and gesturing with his free hand. "You know, because each movie's pretty much two hours long, and there's three being shown, so we're actually gonna be sitting out here for like five hours, and you know, you were technically the one who dragged us all here so—" He cuts himself short when he notices Lydia glaring at him. "Not helping, gotcha."

She rolls her eyes and huffs slightly. "I just wish I didn't feel like I was about to turn to ice. Usually that feeling's reserved for Banshee predictions, not the night that's supposed to be full of romance."

"Hey, you can be romantic and made of ice at the same time! Victor Fries certainly tried." Stiles tilts his head, his eyebrows drawing together. "Although, I think he and his wife both died in the end. And — you know, most of his romantic gestures to save his wife were sort of evil and involved murder, and were also ruined, so it didn't really—"

"Who the hell is Victor Fries?" Lydia cuts him off. 

Scott notices both Stiles and Kira rushing to answer, their eyes widening as they get that similar look. The one that usually leads right into a full-blown, extremely detailed description of whatever it is they're talking about and can take at least ten minutes before they actually get to answering the question.

"You don't wanna know," Scott says before either of them can even get one word out. Lydia raises her eyebrows and he grins. "Trust me. Unless you want to be watching another three movies tonight."

"Never mind, forget I asked." 

Stiles huffs, shooting Scott a look of mock betrayal while Kira just seems mildly disappointed. 

"I think one of the food trucks are selling hot chocolate," he adds, gesturing his head in the direction he remembers seeing it. He raises his eyebrows as he watches Lydia tug at her scarf, pulling it up a little more, and pointedly says, "It might help with the cold."

"Great," she says, already searching for it as she turns her around this way and that, glancing around them for any sign of the one he's talking about. "Now just to find one food truck in the middle of like five others within the next five minutes. Should be easy."

"Come on," Scott says, laughing lightly as he waves a hand and takes a step forward, "I'll come with you. I can still smell it from here, and I could use some myself anyway." Lydia raises her eyebrows. "Believe it or not, werewolves aren't immune to the cold either."

She shrugs, agreeing, and turns to glance between Stiles and Kira in question. Stiles pauses for a second, and Scott figures it's because he doesn't know how he can keep the rose hidden if he goes with them. 

"I'm just gonna stay here," Kira answers. "I'm actually not that cold. And," she turns to Stiles, "I'm curious to find out why you used Victor as your example of cold people who are romantic when you could have easily picked Ice. She was at least a hero."

"Oh yeah, because all of her romantic attempts with Guy went so well, didn't they?" Stiles says, his eyes narrowing as his head tilts. "Pretty sure the last date they had ended in a freaky puppet version of Guy being put on stage and humiliating him."

"That wasn't Ice's fault! And like Victor's _romantic gestures_ were any better?" Kira shoots back, her eyebrows raising. 

Scott notices the confused look on Lydia's face. "That's our cue to leave," he says quietly to her, and she nods, definitely in agreement. 

They slip away as Stiles and Kira continue debating the most romantic cold character. Scott can't help but be amused as he hears Stiles say that Victor may have been a villain, but he had romantic intentions at heart, and Kira scoffs in response. He tunes out after that, leading Lydia in the direction of the food truck. 

"I have no idea what half of their conversations are about," she says, shaking her head. 

"Honestly, I don't either" Scott admits, recalling the various debates he's been dragged into between them where he's had absolutely no idea who they were even talking about, never mind who's side he was agreeing with. "Which, I've learned not to let them know after the one time I did and I sat for at least an hour having the plot of pretty much every Spider-man comic explained to me by Stiles. I may not be celebrating Valentine's day, but I also don't want to spend it talking about why the villains technically have better morals than the heroes."

Lydia laughs. "Yeah, that does not sound like a fun way to spend the rest of the night."

She then pauses, and Scott can see her glancing at him as they turn and pass through the space between two cars, the truck just up ahead. She has a look that Scott isn't sure he wants to know the reason for.

He brushes it off as she doesn't say anything about it.

They end up shifting the subject to _The Notebook_ as Lydia starts saying how she's excited to watch it since it's been too long. Scott is positive he remembers hearing Aiden saying something to Ethan just two weeks ago about how they watched it two nights in a row.

He doesn't say that though, and listens as she talks. By the time they're standing in front of the food truck, only three other people in front of them, he pretty much knows the entire plot of the movie. Not that he didn't already, but he certainly got a far more detailed version this time. He's just glad to see her happy. It's a nice change from everything that's been going on, that's for sure.

After they've ordered four hot chocolates, deciding to bring two back for Stiles and Kira, and they're just waiting on the last two, Lydia turns to him. 

"Just out curiosity," she starts, picking up one of the cups, "you bought Stiles that rose?"

Scott freezes, his eyes widening. His heartbeat jumps over itself and nearly flings itself up into his throat. He slowly continues with taking the other cup that's already sitting there, his stomach swooping then sinking as he tries to think. Of course she noticed it, she's the most observant person he's ever met. 

She must notice his slight panicking and confusion, he's not exactly hiding it all that well. 

"I kind of saw before he tried to hide it," she explains, as if that's what he's most worried about. There's something about the tone of her voice though; it's gentle, careful, like she doesn't want to push or ask too much. "I should have figured you would keep up that little tradition." 

Scott's eyes widen impossibly more as he turns to stare at her, his panic definitely growing now. 

Her head's tilting before he can even attempt to voice what's going through his mind right now. "You're the only one who has his locker combination to be able to get it in there every year, and knows when he won't be around to be able to do it without him seeing," she points out, and Scott has to wonder why Stiles never put that together himself since it seems so obvious now that he's really thinking about it.

A part of him is saying this is it, she knows and she's going to tell him just that. Except, she smiles at him all soft and sort of... understanding, but she doesn't say anything of the sort. No, _I know that you and Stiles are secretly together,_ or anything. 

He relaxes just a little, remembering that this is Lydia he's talking about. Deciding to go with it, he smiles back, nodding as he ducks his head. 

"Uh... yeah," he says. "Yeah, I bought him the rose. And every other one. I guess it's just sort of become a habit now."

Lydia nods like she didn't need the confirmation but wanted to see if he would give her it anyway. The last two cups are placed in front of them and she momentarily shifts her attention to them, picking up one of them.

Scott takes the other, the heat from the two he's now holding actually helping somewhat. It's like they're sort of helping to ease something. Maybe it's just because he's certain now that if Lydia is aware that he and Stiles are together, even if just from Stiles being with him when she called, then she isn't going to say one word about it, not even to him or Stiles. 

She inhales deeply, turning to him once again after paying, that smile still in place, and says, "it's sweet." Then her smile widens and she continues as they start walking back toward the jeep. "I'm guessing that inviting you two to sit with us during the movie is going to be pointless then?" 

Scott's eyebrows furrow and she rolls her eyes. 

"Aiden and Jackson have wandered off and we can't find them," she explains. "So, we're just going to watch the movies together. We were coming over to see if the two of you wanted to sit with us, but..." something flickers in her eyes as she tilts her head, her smile more of a smirk, "I get the feeling that you would rather just stay at the jeep. You know, since you've already got it all set up and everything, there's no point." 

Scott can tell she's giving him an out and he couldn't be more grateful, even if it does mean that she definitely knows. 

"That's if you don't mind?" he says, just to be sure. "It's just that we—"

She waves him off before he can even finish, her face scrunching as she shakes her head. "We don't mind, trust me. But—" she tilts one of the cups, pointing a finger at him, "—you two better not skip out on coming to the Ruby's with us afterwards. I'm assuming that Aiden isn't going to show up anytime soon, so the rest of my night is pretty much free."

Scott silently thinks that his seems to be as well now, seeing as how they've committed to this whole thing. He doesn't mind though. Stiles has already said that he's staying over again tonight, so he knows he doesn't have to worry about not spending much time with him.

He smiles, and says, "we'll be there."

Lydia simply smiles in response as they reach the jeep, Stiles and Kira exactly where they left them. Except, Stiles now has his arms crossed. One quick glance around has Scott spotting the rose, in plain sight in the back of the jeep, laid out with the blanket Stiles stuffed into his bag before they left. 

He can't help but smile a little more as he and Lydia stop in front of them, apparently catching them in the middle of conversation. By the sounds of it, they're definitely not talking about icy superheroes or villains anymore. 

"Are you two done or are Scott and I going to have to take your hot chocolate as well to watch these movies by ourselves?" Lydia asks, drawing their attention to the both of them. She raises her eyebrows, gently shaking one of the cups. "I will do it, don't underestimate how cold I am right now." 

Kira rolls her eyes but grins. "We're talking about lacrosse," she says, then eyes the cup in Lydia's hand. "So... can I have my hot chocolate?"

Lydia pretends to consider it as Scott moves back to his original position beside Stiles. She sighs, over exaggeratedly, but hands the cup to Kira with a twitch of a smile. 

"We should probably go," she adds, glancing around before her eyes land back on Kira's confused expression. "The first movie's starting in like two minutes, and if it's _The Notebook_ , I'm not missing a second of it. Plus," she holds onto her own cup with both hands now and shivers as if perfectly on cue, "it's still freezing and my car is warm. So..."

Scott doesn't miss the way her eyes slide over to him for a second or three, and he wonders if he's just thinking too much into it. Judging by the almost smug look on her face when she then glances at Stiles before fully turning back to Kira, he's guessing he's not.

He thinks he's going to like Lydia knowing something after all. 

"Well," Kira shrugs, and looks at Scott and Stiles, not seeming to be arguing, "have fun!" Then her gaze is directed at Stiles as she adds, "I'll come find you after the new Spider-man. It's going to be amazing, I can't wait to see if you're right about who the big threat is!"

"Oh, I am for sure," Stiles says without missing a beat. "And we'll see if you're right about Gwen." He must notice Lydia's raised eyebrows because he rolls his eyes but quickly adds, "I'll see you after it, yeah?" 

Kira nods, her face lit up, obviously just as excited as Stiles is now that they've been talking about it. Lydia slips an arm through hers, gesturing her head as Kira looks at her and seems to get the message.

With one last smile and quick goodbye from the two of them, they wander off back to one of their cars, leaving Scott and Stiles as they originally had been. Alone, together. 

Stiles fully turns toward him just as Scott offers him one of the hot chocolates. He accepts it with a smile and a nudge to his shoulder. "Thanks, dude."

He then pauses, his eyes slipping away in the direction Lydia and Kira just left in. His tongue darts out across his bottom lip and Scott can see the clear sign of anxiety already creeping up as he gets his next question ready. 

"So..." he starts, but trails off.

"I think she knows," Scott confirms, nodding. He moves a little closer at the wide-eyed panic that's on his face within a second. "But it's okay. She hasn't said anything about it, not even when we were by ourselves. I don't think she will until we bring it up either." 

Stiles' features, as well as his shoulders, relax a little at that, but there's still that touch of worry. Like this is the thing that could ruin everything, could break this before they've even really started. Scott's been thinking the same thing. 

"That does sound like Lydia," Stiles agrees. "I mean, if anyone's going to figure it out, I'm glad it's her and not... I don't know, Jackson or something." 

Scott's mouth tugs up at the corners as he nods. "Yeah, that probably wouldn't be good."

There's a little pause; Scott just waits, letting Stiles think it all over, watching him chew his lip. Then he's nodding, a quiet sigh escaping him as he shifts his gaze back up to meet Scott's. 

"Yeah, okay, this isn't so bad," he decides, coming to the same conclusion as Scott. A hint of a smile slowly makes its way onto his lips as he adds, "I'm guessing that has something to do with her practically dragging Kira away to let us be alone?" 

Scott confirms it with a smile of his own and a tiny nod of his head, Stiles rolling his eyes and glancing over at where they can see Lydia and Kira, now sitting on the bonnet of Kira's car.

They finally climb into the back of the jeep, Stiles making sure to move the rose beforehand, and settle down. The first movie, which, Scott thinks must be to Lydia's disappointment, is some type of romance movie that isn't _The Notebook_.

It starts to play and they're already under the extra blanket that Scott really has to question how Stiles got into the bag as well. He doesn't think too much on it, choosing to focus more on Stiles as he leans into his side. Scott smiles, slipping an around him, pulling him a little closer as they shift to get more comfortable. Then they simply watch the movie, cuddled up together. Just like their original plans, really.

It isn't until nearer the end that something crosses Scott's mind and for some reason, refuses to leave. The characters in the movie are having that big moment, the reveal that they've been building up to for so long, that they're in love with each other.

It just has him thinking back to the diner. To waking up in bed beside Stiles, and what one of his first instincts was to say, even if it didn't actually make it out into the open.

He isn't sure if it's a coincidence or not, but Stiles turns his head to look at him at that moment. The small smile that spreads across his face the second their eyes meet is practically contagious, Scott unable not to return it. Especially not when he catches movement out of the corner of his eye and glances down at where Stiles has picked the rose back up, twirling it slowly between his fingers once more. 

"By the way," Stiles starts, voice quiet as Scott quickly pulls his gaze back up to him. He then pauses, and Scott can tell that he's already regretting how he started that but is now just trying to find his next words. His eyes drop Scott's, going down to the rose now as well as his teeth catch his bottom lip. 

Scott's heart jumps a beat, maybe two, rising a few notches in speed in the process. He completely tunes the movie out now, his mind far too focused on figuring out what it is Stiles wants to say without him even saying it. A part of him has an idea.

Still, he shifts slightly to be able to properly look at him, hoping to catch his eye. "What is it?" 

"I meant what I said earlier," he says without missing a beat, apparently Scott's little push being all he needed. He looks back up at him, and Scott thinks he's definitely right as Stiles presses on, explaining, "in the diner. You know, it seems so dumb that I freaked out over itou know, considering we've literally said it a million times to each other at this point, but I just—" He shakes his head, a slight laugh escaping him. "I didn't know if you weren't there yet, because — I should probably tell you that I've been there for years. Literally. That's what I meant by the whole 'unless you bought me a milkshake when we were four' thing. And I totally—"

"Stiles," Scott cuts him off, the widest, fondest, and possibly happiest smile on his face. 

Stiles immediately stops, his lips still parted like the words just went flying out the window. His heartbeat's erratic and so fast, and Scott can just _feel_ the waves of nerves and anxiety with a touch of worry that he's just made a mistake coming off of him.

Scott brings his hand up to the side of Stiles' neck, a little buzz of joy rushing through him when Stiles instinctively leans into it, his thumb stroking along his jaw. 

"I love you," he says softly, giving a little nod as he does. "I've been in love with you since we were seven, so, you have nothing to worry about, okay? Trust me, I've been right there beside you for years." 

Stiles visibly relaxes, and Scott watches the little hint of relief that passes over his face, can feel it underneath his hand. For a split second, his words seem to sink in and Stiles' eyes are widening. All it takes is the tiniest of eyebrows raises from Scott and another gentle stroke of his thumb along his cheek for Stiles to quickly finish processing. 

A small smile appears on his face, the joy radiating from him into Scott, mixing with his own. Scott can sense him leaning in a second before he actually does, but happily waits until Stiles' lips are on his, the both of their smiles not entirely gone as they kiss.

Stiles doesn't bother to pull back more than an inch, quietly repeating his words from earlier. "I love you so much. And, like, totally in an _I'm completely in love with you_  way. Just in case I hadn't already made that clear." 

Scott laughs lightly "I think I got that part."

"Good, because now I get to complain about what total fucking cliches we are right now," Stiles says, now pulling back enough to look at Scott, who can't bring himself to do anything other than continue laughing. "Seriously. Saying I love you, technically for the first time since we got together, on Valentine's day? This is the big romantic moment in literally every romance movie to ever exist."

"Well," Scott shifts his left hand up to the other side of Stiles' neck now, his head tilting a little as he smiles, "I'm happy to be a cliche as long as it's with you."

Stiles groans, throwing his head back, and Scott bites his lip to stop himself from laughing again. 

"You're the worst," Stiles says, but even as he does, he can't seem to wipe the smile off of his face. He inches closer again until he's pressing the quickest kiss yet to his lips and quietly adding, "but that was actually kind of sweet and I love you, so, I don't really care." 

Scott's cheeks actually hurt from how much he's smiling as Stiles pulls back completely, settling back into his original position, leaning into Scott's side. Scott slips his arm back around him, his hand resting on his arm as Stiles leans his head on his shoulder. His fingers start making their way up Stiles' arm, soft and gentle, tracing little patterns into his skin. 

"I guess our plans getting changed wasn't so bad after all."

Stiles hums, pressing his face a little further into his neck. He places a kiss to the base, just above the collar of his shirt. 

"Definitely," he agrees. "Besides, any day or night spent with you is special on its own. And yes, before you say it, I know how incredibly cheesy that was, but we're going to let it slide because it's still Valentine's day, and right now, I don't hate today. So, it's allowed." 

"You're right," Scott says, cuddling into Stiles that little bit more. "Valentine's day or not, I love you, and I'm happy just to be with you."

They decide to leave it at that, both happy with where things are. Stiles ends up slipping his hand into Scott's, lacing their fingers together. Then their attention is back on the movie as it nears the end.

For the rest of the night, Scott can't shake that little bubble of happiness. Content. The drive-in was definitely a good idea, even if it meant they had to be the tiniest bit more careful. Not by much of course, not when they were in the jeep and all of their friends were too distracted to pay any attention to the kisses they snuck or their intertwined hands. 

It turned out to be a pretty special Valentine's day after all, Scott thinks once he's back in his own bed after leaving the diner. Stiles is curled up in front of him, pressed back into him with Scott's arms around him, holding him close as they both near falling asleep. Perfect might even be a word he'd use to describe it.


End file.
